I found some young kittens that seem to have been abandoned by the mother

[Guest]

My guess is that they might be maybe around 3 wks old. I'm not really sure what to do. I bought some Milk Replacer, and fed them a little bit through a syringe. I transferred them to a box with a chair cushion for comfort. Other than periodic feeding, however, I'm not sure what to do to ensure their survival.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

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[Athena]

Make sure you stimulate there bowels by rubbing a warm wash cloth on there privates. And feed them belly facing down every four to five hrs and make sure them and the milk is warm.

[Jane]

The mum mite be looking for them.

[Ally]

They should be fed every 4-5 hours.. I would recommend picking up a bottle and nipple since they eat quite a bit at this age. It usually takes 24 hours for them to learn how to latch. The Kitten Lady on YouTube has a great video on how to bottle feed.

Always feed them with their stomach down! They can aspirate if fed like actual babies! Check in their mouth to see if any teeth have emerged. If canines and incisors are present, start feeding them slop twice a day to wean them (wet food mixed with their milk). They also enjoy a heat source…

I use a heating disk but you can fill a sock with rice and microwave it for them. Do not use an electric heating pad, it’s too warm for them.

If they’re not using the litter box yet, you will need to stimulate them to use the washroom before each feeding with a tissue (Kitten Lady also has videos on this)! You can introduce the litter box now but they take a bit to be litter trained.

Good luck!

I foster neonates and this is what I do!



Don't forget to take a look at: How do you know if your cat needs a friend?

[Mary]

Feed them every 3 hours.. feed them slowly so they don't aspirate milk into their lungs.. You will need to take a clean wet paper towel and wipe to stimulate their peri area so that thry can pee and poo..

The mother does this for them after each feeding, you will need to do this for them now. Keep them warm perhaps a hot water bottle and a stuff animal of some kind for them to cuddle up with.

[Brittany]

At this age they leave them longer. I have 2 mothers. They look between 3 and 4 weeks because mine are almost 3 and they are much smaller and eyes barely open.

[Angela]

They look bigger than 3 weeks the mum might have put them in that place as it will be dark and covered they look about 6 weeks or more if they are eating that's a good sign I would get a litter tray see if they will use it a kitten one.

You are kind to help these kittens hope mum turns up xx

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[Terrilynne]

We found a kitten at 3 weeks old years ago and she started eating wet food in gravy in addition to the milk right away.

Good luck!

[Jaime]

Find a rescue if possible. Keepnfeeding them every couple hours. U also have to helo them use the potty. They will not go on their own.

You have to use a moist wash cloth and rub their parts a certain way to simulate mama cats tongue.

[Anita]

Make sure mom isn't around. Best to leave them be and monitor them from a distance to give mom a chance to come back.

Babies really do best with their mom. Reach out to a shelter or rescue while you watch for mom.

You can check also: I have a pair of cats, Male and females & I'm not a breeder

[Jaime]

I raised a litter once. Took them everywhere with me including job sites so I could keep feeding them on a regular schedule.

[Kate]

As a lot says, do make sure mum isn't around and only take them in if 100% sure. Raising kittens is tough and failing kitten syndrome is common with human raised litters.

I foster cats and kittens. For feeding the general rule of thumb is feed X amount of hours for X amount of weeks old; so 3 weeks old means feeding every 3 hours. You'll need to help their digestion and make sure their tummies don't swell with air, so similar to how you bump a baby but just laying them down and rubbing their backs. You'll also need to provide them the right temperature, in general keeping the room at a good 23oC and having a warm hot bottle placed under blankets for them will be good, just make sure they have the ability to move away from the heat if needed. They'll need to be stimulated to toilet as well, best way I've found to do this is getting a cotton ball wet with body temperature warm water (not dripping wet) and rubbing it on their bottoms and gentiles to get them to go, and then obviously clean up after. It's also good to keep them clean and rub them regularly with a towel, just make sure to not leave them wet, especially the tails!

Big big warning signs are if a kitten gets weak (like unable to move around or hold their head up) or regresses in any way; this needs to go to the vet immediately as is a very common sign of failing kitten syndrome. Another important point is they most likely have worms, most kittens do. It's fine for right now but if their tummies swell, if they stop putting on significant weight, or they are pooping or throwing up visible worms, time to go the vets for anti worming meds.

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[Cheryl-Cherri]

You can put them in a box about 12-15 in high with warm bedding. Mother will be able to jump in to nurse. Also, get some canned kitten food and make a gruel that they can lick up. We did this a couple mths ago with a litter and mom stayed involved. Meanwhile look for a cat rescue group to help.

Thank you for keeping them safe..